Looking at the weather forecast for this Friday I was thinking an early start was in order to try and get an hours birding out of the day before the Snow started and since Sands Lane was on the doorstep and that I hadn’t caught sight of the American bird this year I think Sands Lane was going to be the place to start.
Arrived at the Lane at about 8:30am to find the assembled wildfowl round at the weir the usual Mallards, Mute Swans, Canada Geese, Coots and Moorhens, the Tufted Ducks were still present but in more numbers (4 male and 9 Female), Pochard (4 Male and 4 Female), Goosander (4 Male and 1 Female), a surprise find was 2 Little Grebes feeding along the far river bank I probably wouldn’t have found them if it hadn’t been for the female Goosander scaring them out of the undergrowth. Along the towpath a Male Pied Wagtail with a Male Blackbird for company feeding on the grain handouts, these birds must be finding it hard at present with things having been frozen for so long. Some gulls had now arrived but mainly Black Headed and Common Gulls so at 9am I decided on going round to the pools to find the yank.
The pools were still frozen over from banking to banking Black Headed and Common Gulls present with a Great Spotted Woodpecker calling from the nearby tree, a fly over Cormorant, then the Ring Billed Gull finally flew in at about 9:15am the snow started at 9:30am great timing all round the planned visit to Horbury Wyke was off that would have to wait for anothr day it was home and coffee
Huddsbirder 